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The masterminds behind World of Goo and Henry Hatsworth fill us in on the inspirations and thought experiments that led to their new game about burning stuff.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/32517/little-inferno-interview-with-tomorrow-corporation
It took Nintendo a few years. They may be a generation late. But at long last, the House of Mario has decided to go all-in with digital distribution with the Wii U launch. This time tomorrow, players in North America will be able to log onto the eShop to find five download-only games available to purchase right from the start.
One such game is Little Inferno, a curious new project from Tomorrow Corporation in which the goal is to throw your worldly possessions into a fireplace. The three-man team behind it is comprised of Kyle Gray, who spearheaded the DS oddity Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, Kyle Gabler, the lead designer and artist on World of Goo, and Allan Blomquist, who helped bring the latter title to WiiWare.
Much of what Little Inferno entails, even so close to its release, is still shrouded in mystery. In this interview, we found out more about the nature of the game, as well as the team's influences, processes, and aspirations for it. Enjoy!
Nintendo World Report (NWR): Little Inferno is Tomorrow Corporation's first project, but many people know you as the guys behind World of Goo and Henry Hatsworth. How did this crew of people come together?
Kyle Gray: The three of us met in grad school years ago, back when the Wii was just a gleam in Shigeru Miyamoto’s eye. We made a bunch of tiny student projects, and talked about working together one day when we made it in the “real” games industry. Back then, the only way to make games was to join a giant company and work your way up from the bottom, but after a few years at EA, Kyle decided to leave and form 2D Boy. Allan joined shortly after to port World of Goo to the Wii, and I was the last to jump the EA ship after Hatsworth. A few months later, we started Tomorrow Corporation.
NWR: The idea behind Little Inferno, a game set entirely in front of a fireplace, is certainly very unique and intriguing. How did you come up with the idea for a game where the objective is to burn things? I suppose everybody has a firebug somewhere inside them, right?
Kyle Gabler: You may have heard of the Yule Log TV program—the burning log you find on TV around the winter months or in hotel rooms. It started in 1967 by a TV station in New York, originally as a 17-second loop of a flaming log. And we thought: "Man, that's like a super boring game that some awful company will totally make for the Wii or smartphones."
And then we thought: "Wait, WE could be that awful company! But I wonder if we can start with an exceptionally underwhelming premise, but then actually make the game really really surprisingly good?" And Little Inferno is the result. We hope we've succeeded!
NWR: From what we have seen and heard through the grapevine, the game seems quite like a sandbox, where you're really encouraged to play around and experiment with stuff just to see what happens. What is the driving factor towards making progress? Are there puzzles, missions or goals of any description?
Gabler: The game certainly has a huge "sandboxy" element, but you are never left alone and cold without a goal and a string of little surprises. There is a very clear direction you are heading. You can't play in the sandbox forever. There is an end.
There is a hilarious piece of Animal Crossing fan fiction from like 2007 that is a brilliant example of what can happen if you take a "sandboxy" game and give it an actual direction. It's called The Terrible Secret of Animal Crossing and is well worth a read if you have a free afternoon.
NWR: Video games like this are sometimes criticised as being more like toys than actual games. Is this a distinction you embrace? Or by its very nature, would you still classify Little Inferno as a game?
Gabler: Little Inferno makes no effort to be an ordinary game, and I expect there will be a wide range of opinions because of it. We enjoy the bewildered YouTube comments from folks like "What?! You throw things in a fire to get money to buy more things to throw in a fire? That's pointless and stupid!"
And of course it's pointless and stupid! The characters in the game muse about the very same thing in different ways. But why do we continue doing something that's warm and comfortable, maybe embarrassingly satisfying, even though it's clearly unproductive? It's a question the game is fascinated with.
NWR: Let's say, for example, that I'm the sort of gamer who likes to play games for the challenge and for the test of skill. How does Little Inferno evolve to keep me interested and challenged as I play more and more? Or are you going for something completely different with this game?
Gabler: Tests of skill can be fun, but games have so much more to offer more than rote, mechanical, time and dexterity trials.
Why do we enjoy roller coasters or traveling or music or exploring the sewer system under the neighborhood with flashlights? They aren't necessarily challenging, and you can't really get better at them, but they can be thrilling.
To the Moon and Dear Esther are two recent games that are beautiful and especially memorable to me for their distinct and intentional lack of challenge. Adventure games like Space Quest and the old LucasArts games also had very little challenge, yet the genre has managed to remain one of the most beloved class of games. There are whole worlds filled with characters inside of these games waiting to be explored and talked to and licked and exploded!
So, nope! Not only does Little Inferno very intentionally have almost no challenge, but the fact that that's the case is a really central plot detail—and it's not lost on the characters within the game either.
NWR: The presentation and story is another aspect of Little Inferno that has definitely caught our attention. The teaser trailer you put out a while ago was somehow adorable and at the same time, weirdly sinister. It's a fascinating and kind of unsettling dichotomy. What was the inspiration behind this style and what do you hope to accomplish with it?
Gabler: A few years ago when Flash games were huge, Derek Yu of TIGsource commented something like "[This one Flash game site] is evil, in the same way as Disney Land or Church." Which I thought was an apt way to sum up that particular feeling of a person/company/whatever smiling at you with their face while simultaneously defiling you with their long fingers. It's a feeling I feel constantly, like when ordering a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, or when saying "thank you" to the nice TSA agent who just had his hand on my inner thigh, and I wish there were a word for it. Is there a word for it?
And speaking of mashing up emotions together, I read an interview forever ago with the legendary Meryl Streep where she said she never acts just one emotion - she likes to act like 12 emotions all at once. Just watch how she breaks that egg!
I hope we can one day approach her repertoire of simultaneous emotions.
NWR: How about the game's soundtrack? One of the things I absolutely loved about World of Goo was its wide range of great music. What is the direction you're going in with the music for Little Inferno? Any influences to speak of?
Gabler: With World of Goo, I wrote two or three tracks specifically for the game, but all the rest came from a back catalog of music I'd written over the previous ten years or so - so the soundtrack became kind of a ragtag junkyard of previously-loved misfit music.
With Little Inferno, I'm pretending to be a real composer, and making all the music from scratch just for this game, which means this gets to be a more mature soundtrack with actual real live soundtrack features—like different themes for different characters that evolve over time. I'm a big fan of movie music from the 80's and 90's—like John Williams (1993 was his most amazing year), Danny Elfman's 90's heyday, Vangelis in the early 80's—all with strong melodic themes and instantly identifiable orchestration.
NWR: The game is, of course, coming to Wii U, and will be one of the first downloadable games to appear on the system. What has it been like working on the Wii U? What are the main perks and challenges of developing a game for a new console, and such an unusual one at that?
Allan Blomquist: As a lifelong Nintendo fan, the biggest perk for me was getting to play with the new system before everybody else of course! It's also exciting as a developer to get your hands on more powerful hardware because suddenly it feels like anything is possible. Little Inferno definitely couldn't have existed in its present form on the Wii.
The flip side of getting early access is that there aren't already established conventions on the system. For example, if the player wants to transition from playing on their TV to playing on the GamePad, how exactly will that work? Should it be a button press, or a menu? Should the game pause? What should we show on the TV once you're playing on the GamePad? Next year, there will be a bunch of games that have all tackled these issues and the best ideas will become the unwritten standard. Until then, it's up to the initial crop of launch titles to set the pace. No pressure!
NWR: We know that the Wii U version can be controlled using the Wii Remote's pointer? Are there any exclusive features for this version of the game? How, if at all, does it use the Wii U GamePad controller?
Gray: Players will be able to play with their Little Inferno with either the GamePad or Wii Remote. While the Wii Remotes make natural fire pokers, there’s something comforting about snuggling up to a nice warm fireplace that you can carry with you around the house. We’re also tinkering with multiplayer for a possible future update. Fire is fun for the whole family!
NWR: How have Nintendo been involved during the development of Little Inferno? Have they taken a fairly hands-on approach or have you had free rein? How does it compare to your experience working on WiiWare?
Gabler: We have feelings filled with raccoon suits and invincibility stars for Dan and Shannon and the fine folks at the Mushroom Kingdom. They have been supportive from the beginning—of us, and this incredibly weird game. It's worth noting though, that Nintendo is not our publisher, so the question of hands on or off doesn't really enter into it, no matter how soft or white their gloves are. Like a lot of indie developers, we're a small team, fully self-funded, and don't have a publisher. So there's 100 percent creative control by default.
NWR: Little Inferno seems to have had a shorter space of time between its announcement and its release than most indie titles. Was this intentional? Do you feel there is a risk in people losing interest when a game is known about and in development for a long time?
Gray: It seems like only a few short years ago all you needed was a decent review or an article in a game magazine to get noticed. With today’s on-the-go society, we’re under a constant barrage of information.
Every time I check my email I have to parse through ads trying to drive me to their website to play crappy HTML 5 games. Every time I play a game on my phone, I have to sit through an advertisement for the next greatest tower-animal-ville sim. Every time I log on to a website I have to look at a dozen banners full of buxom fantasy wenches, touting their latest free-to-play social network title. With all the noise out there it’s a wonder that more game companies don’t start hyping their next game as soon as they release their current one.
We believe the best way to make people interested in our games is not to talk endlessly about them ourselves, but to make games that people want to talk about. Games that are good. Games that are different. Games that people will remember years from now.
With Little Inferno we’re taking players on a strange and wonderful ride to somewhere they’ve never been before. We’re excited to see what people think when it releases later this month!
NWR: Lastly, let's talk launch details. When will Little Inferno be coming out? And do you have any information to give on its price on the Wii U eShop?
Gray: We’re pushing to release on launch day in North America and Europe. Thanks to some tremendous work on the part of our volunteer fan translators, we’ll be launching in English, French, German, Dutch, and Spanish! As for the price, we’re planning on launching at $15 in the US, and should be releasing at a comparable price in Europe.
Nintendo wants to take an approach different from the DLC in New Super Mario Bros. 2.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32508
Nintendo is planning to sell additional courses for New Super Mario Bros. U in the future, according to a recent Iwata Asks developer interview.
When questioned on the topic, EAD General Manager Takashi Tezuka confirmed that the development team had not yet begun work on these levels, but the infrastructure for selling and downloading them is already in place. This follows the precedent set by New Super Mario Bros. 2, which launched on Nintendo 3DS earlier this year.
Tezuka also mentioned that their intention with these downloadable courses is to explore ways of playing that are different from the DLC in the aforementioned 3DS title.
In that game, new stages were released for the Coin Rush mode in packs of three, grouped by specific themes such as difficulty. Whether this means that the upcoming add-ons will be more than Boost Rush and Challenge Mode level packs remains to be seen.
New Super Mario Bros. U is a Wii U launch game in all territories, releasing in North America on November 18, Europe on November 30 and Japan on December 8.
I was hoping Cloudberry Kingdom would be there at launch. Really, though, all five of those are possible buys for me, though I have to get a bit more information on a couple of them,
It's time to celebrate, people of Europe. At last, Fallblox is here!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32502
It isn't necessarily every week that Europe has cause to be excited when the new downloads update comes around. However, you might want to fire up your systems for this round of software. That's right, folks - the hotly-anticipated Fallblox, sequel to last year's Pullblox, has arrived on the 3DS eShop. There are a few more noteworthy downloads, such as a demo of Zero Escape and a Virtual Console title in the form of hallowed NES platformer Ninja Gaiden.
As we just mentioned, the major new release this week is Fallblox. North America will receive the game next week under the name of Crashmo, but right now, Europe can enjoy the next 3D block puzzler from Intelligent Systems. Across 90 training stages, 140 main levels and potentially limitless user-made creations, players will have to contend with a whole new set of rules, including gravity and puzzles viewable from all sides. Fallblox is selling for £7.19/€7.99.
Johnny Hotshot is the other game added to the 3DS Download Software library, priced at £5.39/€5.99. As another arcade-style shooting gallery by UFO Interactive, this one drops the titular Johnny into a world based on the Wild West, where he must either pick off gangs of bandits or capture them with a lasso.
Moving on to the 3DS Virtual Console, Ninja Gaiden is now available for £4.49/€4.99. Few games are more fanatically revered for their extraordinary difficulty than this action classic, which first launched in Europe in 1991 as Shadow Warriors. Taking control of Ryu Hayabusa and armed with mighty Ninpo magic, the player has survive multiple hostile worlds on a quest to avenge Ryu's slain father.
Finally for this week, Magical Whip: Wizards of the Phantasmal Forest hits both DSiWare and the eShop. A fantasy themed puzzle platformer, Magical Whip features 50 stages in which players collect items and defeat enemies by chaining together combo manoeuvres. The game is yours for just £1.79/€1.99, or 200 DSi Points from the DSi Shop.
There is also a demo for Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, the follow-up to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. Just like its acclaimed predecessor, Zero Escape is a point-and-click text adventure, boasting a mysterious plot with 24 unique endings. The demo is, of course, free to download.
In addition to all of these, Nintendo has added New Style Boutique, or Style Savvy: Trendsetters the US, as a retail download. This simulation title allows budding fashionistas to design their own articles of clothing, help run a clothing retail store and enter modelling contests. New Style Boutique costs £39.99/€44.99 from the eShop, and those who are on the fence can try out a demo at no charge.
You ain't no Pokémon master 'til you fill the Pokédex 3D Pro! You gotta catch 'em all!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32442
While the North American eShop enjoys the brand new Paper Mario: Sticker Star this week, the European downloads update is more standard fare. We've got a new-and-improved interactive Pokédex, surfing, discounted pinball, another batch of art DLC and more.
Pokédex 3D Pro is the centrepiece on the 3DS eShop this time. As with the original Pokédex 3D, this application allows users to view their collection of Pokémon and various facts about each one. Pro adds the monsters from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, and introduces a challenge mode with dozens of trivia quizzes. Pokédex 3D Pro can be purchased for the princely sum of £13.49/€14.99.
There is one more new piece of 3DS Download Software, in the form of Rising Board 3D. Players surf through a series of auto-scrolling randomly-generating levels, whilst performing tricks off large waves. The game is available for £2.69/€2.99.
On DSiWare, Cake Ninja 2 is the sole new game. This arcade-style score attack sequel is fairly self-explanatory from its title: you are a ninja and your job is to slash cakes as they fly by on the touchscreen with your stylus. This costs £4.49/€4.99 on the eShop, or 500 DSi Points if bought from the DSi Shop.
That's it for new releases, but for the second week in a row, owners of New Art Academy can download two additional art lessons, at £1.79/€1.99 each. This time, the two packs of DLC are Fur & Feathers and Paint Like Monet.
Last but not least, just for a limited time, Marvel Pinball 3D is reduced to £4.49/€4.99. One of many pinball titles from Zen Studios, Marvel Pinball includes four unique tables, based on Blade, Invincible Iron Man, Captain America and the Fantastic Four, respectively. Players can compete with their friends over online leaderboards for the highest scores.
As per usual, the Wii Shop Channel isn't left out, with its customary Virtual Console offering. Shock Troopers for NeoGeo is a run-and-gun game that originated in the arcades, starring an international cast of playable characters and featuring two distinct modes of play. The game is yours for 900 Wii Points.
Feel the power of falling blocks in just one week's time.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32439
Fallblox, sequel to hit Intelligent Systems puzzler Pullblox, is coming to the European 3DS eShop on November 15.
Known as Crashmo in North America, Fallblox puts a new twist on the mechanics of its predecessor - the podgy protagonist Mallo still has to climb block-based structures by pushing and pulling them, but this time, the blocks are affected by gravity and will fall down when unsupported. It is now possible to view a structure from all sides, opening up a whole new set of possibilities for the puzzles.
Fallblox features over 200 stages, plus a level editing studio that allows players to share their own creations, either through QR codes or directly over the 3DS Internet Browser. Nintendo has also announced that 20 free levels will be sent out periodically via SpotPass in the months following the game's release.
There is an article summary on GoNintendo that states this game will have online multiplayer. True or not?
http://gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=189863
Here's the latest info on the overworld, Challenge Mode, and Miiverse integration.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32411
New Super Mario Bros. U will include a continuous, branching world map, customizable challenge levels, and video replays, as detailed in the most recent Japanese Nintendo Direct.
In a special roundtable presentation, game director Masataka Takemoto showed off several new aspects of Mario's inaugural Wii U outing. The game plays out across a single giant overworld that seamlessly transitions between different environmental themes. As you go, comments left on Miiverse will appear next to individual levels.
Players can choose from multiple paths as they progress through the world map, tackling sections out of order. Various distractions appear on the map between stages, like roaming items and enemies, as well as the recently-revealed Nabbit (known as Totten in the Japanese version) character, who Mario must chase into a certain level.
Takemoto also expanded upon the game's ancillary modes. Coin Battle returns after debuting in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but now with the option to play in teams, either two against two or three against one. Meanwhile, the GamePad controller's touchscreen can be used to edit the locations of the coins and Star Coins in each stage.
In addition, new features of the Challenge Mode were revealed. In this mode, players enter score-based minigames with various objectives such as time trials, collecting 1-Ups without touching the ground, beating a level with fewer than five coins or surviving for as long as possible in a room full of baddies.
The game comes with many challenges, including some that are only possible with a second player using Boost Mode on the GamePad, but you can also set your own rules and then share these challenges with your friends via Miiverse. High scores and video replays of your runs can also be shared over Miiverse.
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The Wii U's browser has the greatest HTML support of any game system.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32362
The Wii U internet browser has the most comprehensive compatibility with HTML5 of any dedicated game console to date, according to benchmark-testing website HTML5test.com.
The testing website, which ranks browsers out of a possible 500 compatibility points plus an additional 15 points for specific video and audio-related features, graded the Wii U browser with 323 + 8.
By comparison, the current leading console browser, the Xbox 360 Internet Explorer 9, scores a 120 + 5, while the Nintendo 3DS and Wii web applications clock in at just 109 +0 and 94 + 0, respectively.
HTML is the coding language used for displaying almost all elements of a web page, including forms, notifications, and images. These ratings essentially translate to how well the browser is able to run and display these elements.
Shooters, tower defense, fashion, and more fill out this week's European downloads.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32363
It's business as usual for European downloads this week, with a smattering of small titles in a range of genres represented across every platform, plus a new demo and a discounted title.
The highlight of the week is the NES version of Konami's classic side-scrolling shoot-'em-up, Gradius, available on the 3DS version for £4.49/€4.99. The game is considered to be one of the great early forerunners of the genre, famous for its spectacular boss battles, punishing difficult, and infinitely hummable soundtrack.
Moving to the 3DS Download Software, there are a couple of new titles to speak of. First up is Monster Shooter, a Gamelion game in which you... uh, you know, shoot monsters. Featuring 60 levels and unlockables, this overhead shooter is yours for £6.29/€6.99.
The other addition to the eShop is Samurai G from UFO Interactive. In this endless runner-style title, you control a samurai called Tetsuo as he runs through the level, collecting gold and slaying enemies. This one is priced at £1.79/€1.99.
DSiWare isn't left out of the equation, with Come On! Dragons arriving on the eShop for £1.79/€1.99 and on the DSi Shop for 200 DSi Points. This fantasy-themed tower defence game has you defending your kingdom from, you guessed it, dragons.
That's it for new software, but the European eShop is also receiving the first of two demos for New Style Boutique (or Style Savvy: Trendsetters, as it is known in the US.) This demo, which as always can be downloaded for free, allows players to try out the full game's Fashion Contest mode.
Finally, Shin'en Multimedia's Art of Balance TOUCH! has had its price slashed down to £4.49/€4.99. With over 200 stages of block-balancing brainteasers, this second entry in the Art of Balance has plenty of content, and for those who are on the fence, there is a free demo containing a sample of levels. As per usual, this price cut will be in effect for a limited time only.
Europe also gets its first WiiWare title in quite some time. Back to Nature, downloadable from the Wii Shop Channel for 500 Wii Points, stars a group of farm animals who are in search of their missing friend.
The denizens of boss battles have set their sights on Nintendo 3DS.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32340
Sin & Punishment developer Treasure has announced that it is working on an action game exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.
In an interview with gamesTM magazine, the studio's CEO, Masato Maegawa, said:
"We are making a new game on Nintendo 3DS now. Not multiplatform, but exclusive to 3DS."
There is currently no information about this game, other than it is in the action genre. This lines up perfectly with the pedigree of Treasure's back catalog of titles, which includes Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga, Bangai-O, Astro Boy: Omega Factor and even Wario World.
We've got three copies of Mutant Mudds to give away! Enter now!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/contest/32285
Calling all European 3DS owners! In celebration of the game's recent free update, Nintendo World Report has teamed up with Renegade Kid to give away three copies of the hard-as-nails download platformer Mutant Mudds.
It's an excellent game—our own Neal Ronaghan gave it a 9 his review and said in his closing comments: "Mutant Mudds is a top-tier eShop title, and deserves to be played by any fan of 2D platformers." Furthermore, with the recent update, the game now contains an additional 20 extra-difficult bonus levels.
To have a chance of claiming one of these copies, all you have to do is log onto Twitter and send this tweet:
Simple, right? Once the competition ends, we will pick three lucky winners at random to receive a redeemable download code for Mutant Mudds, courtesy of Jools Watsham. Good luck to all entrants!
Ground rules:
(1.) This competition is only eligible for those in Europe.
(2.) Only one entry per person is allowed.
(3.) The competition closes at 12:00 GMT on Monday, November 5, 2012. Make sure you get your entry in before then.
